Skip to main content
Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Ice Cube in War of the Worlds
Sci-Fi Movies War of the Worlds dominates nominations for anti-Oscars the Razzies, though we're not super surprised given its 4% Rotten Tomatoes score
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary review: "Large scale sci-fi with tons of heart"
Joe Kerry as Travis 'Teacake' Meachum and Georgina Campbell as Naomi Williams in Cold Storage
Horror Movies Stranger Things star's new zombie horror Cold Storage is a love letter to gooey, goofy sci-fi from the early 2000s
Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Horror Movies 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights
Drama Movies Emerald Fennell's controversial Wuthering Heights works because it's like a half-remembered dream
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary debuts to near-perfect 96% Rotten Tomatoes score
The poster for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring with a close-up of Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins
Lord of the Rings Movies 25 years later, and I'm fully convinced there'll never be a greater adaptation than The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Return to Silent Hill protagonist James Sunderland
Horror Movies Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
David Bowie as Jareth, the Goblin King
Fantasy Movies 40 years later, Jim Henson's Labyrinth is still teaching kids to overcome their fears as it returns to the big screen
Alan Ritchson as 81 in War Machine
Sci-Fi Movies War Machine director says practical FX was "paramount" to make the sci-fi action movie feel as real as possible
Disclosure Day
Animated Movies Steven Spielberg is at his unsettling best in Disclosure Day's Super Bowl trailer
Ryan Gosling floating in space in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Ryan Gosling's space odyssey wows in final trailer for cosmic sci-fi thriller Project Hail Mary, but Rocky is the real MVP
Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff and Margot Robbie as Cathy in Wuthering Heights
Romance Movies Saltburn director's controversial Wuthering Heights movie is set to win Valentine's Day weekend with a $70 million debut
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die
Sci-Fi Movies Pirates of the Caribbean director's new sci-fi movie hailed by critics as "best Black Mirror episode in nearly a decade"
Hal Jordan's brownish Green Lantern uniform hanging in a closet
DC TV Shows Green Lantern legend Grant Morrison also isn't a fan of the Lanterns trailer
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Romance Movies

The War Of The Worlds - Alive On Stage! review

H.G. Wells' epic comes alive on-stage

Reviews
By Neil Smith published 5 April 2013

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

No one would have believed that Jeff Wayne’s musical treatment of H.G. Wells’ novel would still be active 35 years after his album’s debut.

The prog-rock stays rooted in the 1970s, something the stage show’s CGI and pyrotechnics do little to counter. With Richard Burton indisposed it is left to Liam Neeson’s hologram to narrate the Martian invasion while Marti Pellow and Jason Donovan perform ‘live’.

The result is bloated, over-extended and epically portentous, yet not without moments of gob-smacking majesty.

You may like
  • Ice Cube in War of the Worlds War of the Worlds dominates nominations for anti-Oscars the Razzies, though we're not super surprised given its 4% Rotten Tomatoes score
  • Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary Project Hail Mary review: "Large scale sci-fi with tons of heart"
  • Joe Kerry as Travis 'Teacake' Meachum and Georgina Campbell as Naomi Williams in Cold Storage Stranger Things star's new zombie horror Cold Storage is a love letter to gooey, goofy sci-fi from the early 2000s
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
Freelance Writer

Neil Smith is a freelance film critic and writer who contributes regularly to Heat, SFX and Screen International. He's a long-time member of the London Film Critics’ Circle and was a contributing editor at Total Film for many years.

Read more
Ice Cube in War of the Worlds
Sci-Fi Movies War of the Worlds dominates nominations for anti-Oscars the Razzies, though we're not super surprised given its 4% Rotten Tomatoes score
 
 
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary review: "Large scale sci-fi with tons of heart"
 
 
Joe Kerry as Travis 'Teacake' Meachum and Georgina Campbell as Naomi Williams in Cold Storage
Horror Movies Stranger Things star's new zombie horror Cold Storage is a love letter to gooey, goofy sci-fi from the early 2000s
 
 
Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Horror Movies 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
 
 
Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights
Drama Movies Emerald Fennell's controversial Wuthering Heights works because it's like a half-remembered dream
 
 
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary debuts to near-perfect 96% Rotten Tomatoes score
 
 
Latest in Romance Movies
Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie as Heathcliff and Cathy in Wuthering Heights
Romance Movies Wuthering Heights is the first movie of 2026 to pass the $100 million mark at the box office
 
 
Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff and Margot Robbie as Cathy in Wuthering Heights
Romance Movies Saltburn director's controversial Wuthering Heights movie is set to win Valentine's Day weekend with a $70 million debut
 
 
Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff and Margot Robbie as Cathy in Wuthering Heights
Romance Movies Critics are divided over Wuthering Heights, as the adaptation lands Emerald Fennell's lowest Rotten Tomatoes score yet
 
 
Great Gerwig's Booksmart
Movies The 32 greatest high school movies
 
 
Pixar's Ratatouille
Movies The 32 greatest movies about food that will make you hungry
 
 
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Drama Movies Fantastic Four's Pedro Pascal may replace Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Haynes' gay romance drama, following Joker star's abrupt exit
 
 
Latest in Reviews
The design of the YoloLiv YoloCam S3
Peripherals This webcam promises DSLR image quality, and it isn't too far off
 
 
Crimson Desert
RPGs Crimson Desert review: "A game that's far better as a sandbox than as a story"
 
 
Alien RPG Evolved Edition Core Rules on a wooden surface
Tabletop Gaming Alien: The Roleplaying Game Evolved Edition review
 
 
The reviewer holding the CRKD Gibson Les Paul Pro Edition Guitar
Gaming Controllers The CRKD Pro Edition Guitar controller is almost perfect, and lets you rock out to all of the classics along with the most recent hits
 
 
A Nyxi Flexi on a desk with pink lighting turned on
Gaming Controllers This controller lets you swap between Xbox and PlayStation thumbstick layouts
 
 
Photo of the Belkin Carrying Case sitting on top of the Belkin Charging Case Pro.
Accessories Belkin has done the unimaginable and made my favorite Switch 2 case even better
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Starfield screenshot showing the new Anchor Point location
    1
    How your feedback helped shape Starfield's biggest updates: "We're always checking in," says Bethesda
  2. 2
    Baldur's Gate 3 Shadowheart writer sat down with Lae'zel counterpart to help romance make sense
  3. 3
    Project Hail Mary has convinced me to start getting excited for Star Wars: Starfighter
  4. 4
    "We have no desire to be a media empire," says Palworld publishing head but Pocketpair would be stupid to let it die out
  5. 5
    Neil Druckmann's teasing the return of a The Last of Us actor in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...